Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between special educators and resource teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special educator has an average salary of $53,565, which is higher than the $43,487 average annual salary of a resource teacher.
The top three skills for a special educator include autism, student learning and math. The most important skills for a resource teacher are classroom management, math, and professional development.
| Special Educator | Resource Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $53,565 | $43,487 |
| Hourly rate | $25.75 | $20.91 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 62,545 | 73,796 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A special education teacher's role is to facilitate learning for students with disabilities. The responsibilities of a special education teacher typically revolve around identifying the needs of students, devising lesson plans and strategies to meet their needs, developing test structure to assess their learning, and assisting them in areas of difficulties. It is also essential to coordinate with families and guardians, reporting to them should there be any problems. Furthermore, as a special education teacher, it is necessary to monitor the students' progress and behavior, maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for them.
A Resource Teacher is responsible for providing curriculum support systems for students, teachers, and administrators. Another role of a Resource Teacher is to assist the class teacher and provide additional support for children with moderate learning difficulties.
Special educators and resource teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Special Educator | Resource Teacher | |
| Average salary | $53,565 | $43,487 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $75,000 | Between $15,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oceanside, NY | Salinas, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Capistrano Unified | Boston Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a special educator and a resource teacher in terms of educational background:
| Special Educator | Resource Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Special Education | Special Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between special educators' and resource teachers' demographics:
| Special Educator | Resource Teacher | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7% | Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |